Another "new" teacher email 2-3-14: My experience the last two years has been a whirlwind! I had my senior internship here at Lake Mary Elementary and ended up getting hired to teach 5th grade after my internship. The school is great and my co workers are amazing. I'm actually partner teaching with my supervising teacher from my internship (she and I have become quite close)! So she teaches math and science, and I teach reading/LA/SS. The first year was crazy but I felt like I did well. I had a great team to help me with anything and everything. I was awarded Rookie Teacher of the Year for my school :) Then, in August, I had a baby so I was out until September for maternity leave. I'm just trying to survive this year with figuring out a balance between work/home. It's been pretty overwhelming, but my team is helping me through it. I'm having a hard time because I can't stay at school until 5:30/6 like I was last year to plan/grade, so I feel like a horrible teacher. Everyone keeps telling me they felt the same way when they had a baby and came back to work. I just hope my students are still learning and enjoy being in my class.
I tried a new activity last week that had the kids really excited. It's called "Tabletop Twitter." I saw it online originally being done with reading passages. You glue a passage, or in my case, we were studying "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" so I had 6 different pictures each glued to a different piece of butcher paper. I divided the kids up into 6 small groups (one to start at each picture) and they all had markers. Then they got to look at the picture and discuss what was going on in it with their group. After they discussed, each person in the group had to "tweet" their thoughts on the butcher paper. I had them do it just like they would tweet on twitter (I have no idea how it really works because I don't have a twitter account lol but most of my kids knew). They had to use the @ sign followed by the name of the picture I had put on the paper. They could only use 120 characters and I also let them use hash tags. They had so much fun and the hash tags were hilarious but meaningful.
I think you should know, I still have your text book that I reference every now and again with social studies. I also used the big project my group designed on the wiki!!! It was a regions portfolio. I just adapted it for fifth grade. My team loved it! I hope all is well on your end :) Your class was one of the most meaningful throughout my college career. Thank you for everything you taught us!
Sincerely, XXXXXXXX Fifth Grade Reading/Social Studies Teacher SCPS Let's create an affinity diagram about lesson planning:
The following link directs you to the Internship II Teacher Work Sample (TWS) Assignment.
Your unit plan assignment helps to prepare you for this assignment that you must successfully complete
during your final internship placement! http://www.education.ucf.edu/clinicalexp/TWS.cfm
Grade Three: Regions of the US artifacts & resources
Many counties have instructional resources available for teachers. For example, see the link below for Seminole County Public Schools:
.
Effective lesson planning components: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p2_5
NGSSS Topics Template SP 2017: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aIsIJHY2Yhl4jzEIJdnxerXz090ihoyuPKUVf4Yu9cQ/edit?usp=sharing
Another "new" teacher email 2-3-14:
My experience the last two years has been a whirlwind! I had my senior internship here at Lake Mary Elementary and ended up getting hired to teach 5th grade after my internship. The school is great and my co workers are amazing. I'm actually partner teaching with my supervising teacher from my internship (she and I have become quite close)! So she teaches math and science, and I teach reading/LA/SS. The first year was crazy but I felt like I did well. I had a great team to help me with anything and everything. I was awarded Rookie Teacher of the Year for my school :) Then, in August, I had a baby so I was out until September for maternity leave. I'm just trying to survive this year with figuring out a balance between work/home. It's been pretty overwhelming, but my team is helping me through it. I'm having a hard time because I can't stay at school until 5:30/6 like I was last year to plan/grade, so I feel like a horrible teacher. Everyone keeps telling me they felt the same way when they had a baby and came back to work. I just hope my students are still learning and enjoy being in my class.
I tried a new activity last week that had the kids really excited. It's called "Tabletop Twitter." I saw it online originally being done with reading passages. You glue a passage, or in my case, we were studying "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" so I had 6 different pictures each glued to a different piece of butcher paper. I divided the kids up into 6 small groups (one to start at each picture) and they all had markers. Then they got to look at the picture and discuss what was going on in it with their group. After they discussed, each person in the group had to "tweet" their thoughts on the butcher paper. I had them do it just like they would tweet on twitter (I have no idea how it really works because I don't have a twitter account lol but most of my kids knew). They had to use the @ sign followed by the name of the picture I had put on the paper. They could only use 120 characters and I also let them use hash tags. They had so much fun and the hash tags were hilarious but meaningful.
I think you should know, I still have your text book that I reference every now and again with social studies. I also used the big project my group designed on the wiki!!! It was a regions portfolio. I just adapted it for fifth grade. My team loved it! I hope all is well on your end :) Your class was one of the most meaningful throughout my college career. Thank you for everything you taught us!
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXX
Fifth Grade Reading/Social Studies Teacher
SCPS
Let's create an affinity diagram about lesson planning:
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_86.htm
Teaching Channel Video:
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/tch-presents-social-studies-essentials
International Literacy Association Bridges Interdisciplinary Units Sample:
Money Makes the World Go Around:
The following link directs you to the Internship II Teacher Work Sample (TWS) Assignment.
Your unit plan assignment helps to prepare you for this assignment that you must successfully complete
during your final internship placement!
http://www.education.ucf.edu/clinicalexp/TWS.cfm
Many counties have instructional resources available for teachers. For example, see the link below for Seminole County Public Schools:
http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/instructionalresource/LibraryLinks.aspx
More Resources:
http://www.teachingworks.org/work-of-teaching/high-leverage-practices
Lakeshore Learning- Free REsources:
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/general_content/free_resources/freeResources.jsp?emailcode=022012_Sale&email=spalding@mail.ucf.edu&utm_source=eMailing&utm_medium=retail&utm_campaign=022012_Sale_Email%20%285%29&utm_content=FreeResources&spMailingID=3765113&spUserID=MTQzMzUwNzE0MQS2&spJobID=38513292&spReportId=Mzg1MTMyOTIS1
National Geographic:
http://newsletters.nationalgeographic.com/PS!Y23XXzPmxBMFBgIAAAAGCgRIVE1MCgkxMDI2MzI2NDgIgQkAX5HOCIAF
Free Resources for Educational Excellence:
http://free.ed.gov
The History Channel:
http://www.history.com/shows/classroom/articles/study-guides
The Smithsonian's History Explorer:
http://historyexplorer.americanhistory.si.edu/search/index.asp?typeKeys=&typeKeysOr=&stdsKeys=&gradeStart=-1&gradeEnd=-1&keywords=american+history&orderBy=grade&perPage=10
IWB Friendly American History Lesson:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/resources/education.asp#1
http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/resources/whoami/whoami.html
National Geographic Kids
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/
Discovery Channel Education:
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/search/page/K-5/Social-Studies/-/-/index.cfm?campaign=deHeader_search
Scholastic:
http://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/issues/SN3090312/book#/4 Digital versions of in-print magazines!
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/home.jsp
http://teacher.scholastic.com/whiteboards/socialstudies.htm
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/clf/index.htm
Click here for the National Council for the Social Studies 10 Themes and their descriptions!
Click here for the K-12 Social Studies themes taught in the state of Florida!
Click here for Florida Department of Education Resources
FL SSS- SS Resources